The council said it needs to close 17 of the city’s 27 libraries to save £1.4million. The central library has been ring-fenced and is not at risk of closure.

It put forward three options in its consultation which would see all but one main library and two smaller libraries closed in the north west, east and south areas of Bristol.

The authority claim no final decision has been made, but Harriet Bradley, Labour councillor for Brislington West, has told the Bristol Post she suspects the authority is leaning towards option one.

These are the libraries which could be closing in Bristol

She said: “There had previously been communications shared with the Labour group which showed that option one had been the most popular in the consultation apart from the ‘none of the above’ option and it felt like a fait accompli.

“Councillor Asher Craig subsequently sent round a memo to say that nothing has been decided and I do not doubt her sincerity. However, it does feel like there is a preference to option one.”

Professor Bradley is among dozens of people campaigning against the council’s proposed library funding cuts, and her ward library on Wick Road is set to have its funding cut whichever option is picked.

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She said: “It feels like there has been a lack of transparency in the decision making process – I don’t know how these decisions are made and sometimes these things come from on top.

“I don’t think we should close any libraries. Bristol is a learning city, why are we talking about denying people access to books?

“For my ward, Wick Road is more than just a library, it is a community space too. We have a lot of mothers with children under five and the library is such a resource to them – we don’t have any other community hubs or places in the area.”

While the council will be pulling funding to 17 of Bristol’s libraries, it has said it will consider allowing community groups to take over the running of services.

However, Prof Bradley does not think this is a viable alternative.

She said: “I saw on the Save Redland Library page you need 20 volunteers to cover the equivalent of one full time member of staff. We would need 60 volunteers and I just don’t think that is realistic for the area, as unlike Clifton or Redland we don’t have many retirees able to spare the time.”

These are the libraries which could be closing in Bristol

The library consultation closed at the end of September and the future of the city’s libraries are expected to be discussed at full council next month before a decision is taken at cabinet in December.

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “The Your Neighbourhoods consultation report has now been published and we are encouraged by how many citizens have commented on the proposals.